what does it mean if the silverware from W M Rodgers has 817
Epsl in the back of silverware mean the name of the company that made it. Epsl stands for international silver.
XX = 20
84% pure silver
XX means twenty.
XX is the Roman numeral for 20
20
That it is 99.6% pure silver.
OVB is not a cooking term, but is a brand of silverware.
That is the symbol for Gorham silver. Perhaps you found Patent 1895 on the back of silverware.
I'm not for sure but, i think it's rather how much iron or how much oxygen was used to create the silverware. That or that's how many electrons there are on the metal.
20